Highly acidic or basic wastewater must be treated before disposal for discharge to storm drain or even if sent to another treatment plant or municipal sewage plant. Regardless of industry, it is an integral part of the process which should never be skipped, even when reusing the water. The purpose is to adjust the water’s pH to a balanced level or to meet third party discharge requirements or process pH requirements.
The best thing about pH neutralization in water treatment is the simplicity and ease of compliance and operations of the systems to remove organic and inorganic compounds, acids and bases from industrial processes and cleaning wastewater. The process is focused on bringing the wastewater closer to a base pH and making it ready to be dumped, whether by using acid and base chemical injection or media filtration processes, the focal point is to generate treated waste of a specific pH range.
How the process works
It’s very simple. The whole idea revolves around balancing the pH of the wastewater coming out of the plant. This water may have certain chemicals harmful to humans, animals, and aquatic life. That’s where pH neutralization steps in.
To balance the pH of the water, some base or acidic additions are done depending on the pH value of the water. The idea behind adding these chemicals is to dissolve the waste elements and compounds from the wastewater and make it ready to be discharged without putting environmental safety at stake.
Can pH neutralization remove heavy metals and other toxins?
The answer is yes. The process of pH neutralization is effective enough to remove metals and similar contaminants from wastewater. The pH level is raised high enough to allow the positively charged metal ions to bond with hydroxide ions that are negative in charge. That’s how metal molecules finally settle out and are filtered, leaving treated water behind. It’s important to note that some contaminants require the addition of other processes, such as ion exchange, filtration, dewatering, precipitation and clarification and may require additional equipment to complete the process of complete removal.
Tips for success
- Identify your requirements to be able to find solutions that fulfill your pH neutralization requirements.
- Define your total gallons per day and your worst case scenario total instantaneous flow, pH range and an untreated wastewater chemical analysis, along with your discharge requirements.
- Choose quality equipment for the job. It may seem a little expensive at first, but it will be worth it.
- Find a team that can help you with custom designs as per your needs and is always available to support you in the event of any issue.
The bottom line
If you belong to any of the industries that handle wastewater, you might be aware of the hard work that goes into it. In most cases, doing it on your own is not feasible. The key to success is to find a company with experience designing and servicing 21st-century water treatment systems. And as soon as you find one, start working with them to make your water treatment processes run smoothly and without failure.
W2 Systems has been designing and building industry-leading waste neutralization equipment for some of the top semiconductor and life sciences companies today. After years of experience, we have come to design the high-quality systems used today by utilizing leading technologies and new, user-friendly wastewater pH adjustment designs. If you’re looking for pH neutralization in water treatment, reach out to the team at W2 Systems.